Electric Bikes vs Electric Scooters: Which is better for you?

Why should I buy a personal electric vehicle?

In places like New York, cars are often the slowest mode of transportation around the city. Even if you are lucky enough to have a green light and minimal traffic flow, it is not uncommon to waste 15-30 minutes looking for a parking space. Cars are also expensive, requiring insurance and gas on top of your monthly payments, and paying for a cab every day isn’t viable for most people either.

Public transport is more affordable and great for the environment but is often crowded, full of annoying tourists, and smelly. It also doesn’t always get you where you need to go, only stopping at a few key locations that might still be a long walk from your destination. Besides, it sucks to not be in full control of your trip; there are few things worse than discovering your local train line is down for repairs when you’re in a hurry.
 
Personal electric vehicles are solving last mile problems and replacing car trips as major cities move away from car-centric infrastructure. Increasingly, commuters are realizing how much faster and easier it is to get to work on an electric scooter or e-bike than it is to sit through dreaded rush hour traffic or live at the mercy of unreliable public transportation systems.

While these more or less do the same thing, they are very different. The right choice for you will depend on factors such as your desired use, your budget, and more. To help you make the right decision, we're going to take a deep dive into the difference between an e-bike and vs e-scooter. By the end of this article, you'll have a better understanding of which personal electric vehicle is best suited for your needs and preferences.

Comfort and Convenience

Most electric bikes have large frames and tires to accommodate the added weight of the battery and motor. Electric mountain and hybrid bikes also include full or partial suspension systems, which are as useful on bumpy, potholed city streets as they are on the trail. If comfort is your main concern, you might consider the huge range of electric bikes. That’s not, however, to say that electric scooters don’t offer a comfortable ride—they do. Many high-performance models even feature large pneumatic tires and suspension systems, though at the cost of a larger vehicle that may not be easy to fold or carry and can weigh as much as an e-bike. For most people, these heavy add-ons defeat one of the primary reasons for owning a scooter—convenience. Like the Kaabo Wolf Warrior 11, it performs well, however, weighs 330 LBS, and doesn't get any shorter when folded. The Wolf Warrior 11 is designed to replicate the commanding riding experience of a utility vehicle, with an all-terrain ride suspension and powerful dual motors to get you up to top speed quickly. The Wolf Warrior is engineered with dual brushless 1200W motors that offer a top speed of 50 mph.

Speed and Range

It’s true that the majority of electric bikes will outperform most lightweight e-scooters at top speeds, though there are, of course, exceptions. In order to keep weight down, scooter manufacturers equip their vehicles with smaller batteries and motors. Most electric scooters tend to top out at speeds of 22 mph, whereas electric bikes may reach speeds of up to 30 mph or more. But the Mantis 8 is Kaabo’s answer to compact performance. The dual 500 W t motor brushless hubs for Mantis 8 are found in the front and rear wheels. This 1000 Watts of Combined Power provides a maximum of 25 mph of speed and the ability to climb up to 20-degree inclines.
E-scooters are sleek and nimble and can easily maneuver around cars and other vehicles that slow cyclists down. In a comparison between several different personal electric vehicles, one Electrek reviewer writes, “I rarely felt like needed to go faster than the scooter’s top speed because I had to slow down to pass cars anyways. With such a thin vehicle, it was easy to slide between and around cars that were stuck in traffic when on streets that didn’t have a bike lane.”

It’s also true that electric bikes will generally have much longer ranges and will therefore work best for longer commutes and adventures, though their larger batteries can take more time to charge. Many people who choose to purchase an electric bike live in low-density areas with lots of roads and trails and longer distances to cover. Scooter buyers, on the other hand, might tend to live in large cities where lower speeds and ranges are worthy tradeoffs for convenience, portability, and maneuverability. But Kaabo Mantis 8 has 25-mile range capabilities from the high-capacity 48V 13Ah lithium-ion battery, which is more than enough for an urban commute.

Conclusion

As you can see, both would make a great form of sustainable transportation. I would personally go for the e-scooter for short commutes and a bike or a high-performance scooter for longer commutes.